This is me

This is me:This is what I will be doing in the next few weeks because the job I am applying for was previously held by someone with extreme manga and anime knowledge: not existing because I'm becoming conversant with this link

This will be me in a month:
ETA: Having tabbed browsers is wonderful until you find yourself bogged down by tabs and no clue how they relate to one another, resulting in awesome links and no one to thank. :( If not for my Materials for YA livejournal community I would be this emo when it came to catching up on my anime/manga vernacular:

On Deck

The following books are waiting for me to review them: (listed in no particular order)

• Annie on my Mind
• Uglies
• Feed
• Hero and the Crown
• Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging
• Boy Meets Boy
• Speak
• Whale Talk
• The Golden Compass
• Gossip Girl
• Paper Towns
• Parrotfish
• Persepolis
• American Born Chinese
• Naruto, vol. 1

As you can see, this list is daunting and I am slightly overwhelmed by this. No matter, it will be done even if I finish it over the summer. Any requests for the first one?

Meeting up with an old friend

I'm going to booktalk the Animorphs series and the top ten books librarians should read of the series (besides the final story arc) in my YA lit course.  I'm nervous because I still get teary-eyed at thoughts of one character and I think I might be too upset with another character to have a happy reunion. I'm about to go to the car to retrieve the Animorphs book that touched me the most. Begin the reread process there. Wish me luck!

Review: For-Eeeev-Er

Somehow, despite not really liking The Sandlot while growing up I love the heck out of the scene where Chauncey* explains how long the dog will stay chained up, specifically the portion below:


So speaking of forever, how about that Judy Blume book? I think the only thing that I really have to say about it is exactly what my friend Danielle said when she saw me reading it, "That book is filthy." Since this is the internet, the italics could be misconstrued to mean that she was repulsed by this, but that is clearly why this book was worth reading. Duh. Sometimes I felt dirty reading it because I was in public. I know there was no little bunny and some jugs hanging out on the cover, but there might as well have been because I felt like I was reading straight up erotica. This is the first challenged book I read that I actually shrugged my shoulders in understanding after reading it.

The long and short of it (hehe he... apparently my mind will be in the gutter for the remainder of this review... you've been warned) is Katherine meets Michael at a New Year's Eve party and even though she tries to play it off like she isn't interested to us, the reader, she totes wants on him. Turns out that he too wants her, despite bringing some other chick to the party. Drama, drama, drama of the high school variety, and then they're going steady. They go on a date and then hang out in her house with more privacy than my parents would have allowed and start hooking up on a regular basis. The rest of the book progresses with their explicitly fooling around and professing they will love one another forever. Katherine's parents are concerned by the serious nature of their daughter's relationship and commands her to be a tennis counselor in another state. Boo hoo. End of the world to begin in five... four... three... two... one... or so it feels to someone with their first love.

SPOILER!

They break up and I laughed. Haha. Oh high school love, how naive and adorable you are. I remember you like a nagging pimple on my upper lip.

First Line:

"Sybil Davis has a genius I.Q. and has been laid by at least six different guys."

*when an actor's real name is this awesome, all names of the characters portrayed are irrelevant. For the record.

Review: The Chocolate War

This is one of the first times I've seen third person omniscient narrator work to a great effect. Sure, it creeps up a lot in fantasy and is well done enough, but this book rocked it. In the beginning the chapters alternate between the two main characters, the first dedicated to Jerry, our protagonist, second going to Archie and then swapping between the two for a while. Then when the chocolate sale begins and Jerry refuses to accept his chocolates, the reader is deprived of Jerry's P.O.V; building suspense for what motivates him to decline to carry on his preparatory school's long-standing tradition.

The narration then shifts to the population of the all boys school at large, capturing the atmosphere created by Jerry's chocolate refusal, which does not bode well for the fund raising efforts. A secret society known as the Vigils attempts to persuade Jerry to sell his chocolates, to no avail. An all out war breaks loose as the sway of the Vigils is strong, leading to every other student besides Jerry to step up their chocolate game. Does Jerry succeed or is he eventually worn down and made to sell his chocolate bars? Will the Vigils continue to dominate the school?

First line of book:

"They murdered him."

Review: The Outsiders

I have to admit that I opened this book with some trepidation. No, not because of the violence, but because I am a little kid. It is an old book with yellowed pages and an ugly cover. I'm a bad librarian, what can I say? Despite this initial hesitation I was reluctant to put the book down after I got halfway through the first chapter. The issues the main character and his friends face are so drastically different from the problems that I ever have and most likely will ever encounter, yet Hinton's writing makes it come alive for me. I felt as if I was a greaser. I hated the Socs, but as Ponyboy and I came to find out together, they are human all the same.

It opens as a story about economic classes determining the way things are run in Ponyboy's city. The Socs have all the money and the best of everything and they let the Greasers know exactly what they think of them by jumping them. Often. The Greasers may not have the best money or vernacular, but they have heart and are expressive. For the most part the fights that occurr as a result of this classist society are miniscule and a part of everyday life. That is, until Ponyboy and his friends walk home two Soc girls that just so happen to be the girlfriends of some of the toughest Socs in town. Later that night, the very same Socs stumble upon Ponyboy and his buddy Johnny looking for a fight. Not only do they get a fight, but meek little Johnny knives one of the Socs and kills him. Ponyboy and Johnny go on the run and are about to start a new life when something unexpected happens. The church they were hiding out in blazes with a wild fire, with several small children trapped inside. With their big hearts in tow, Ponyboy and Johnny jump into the fire and bring the children out, who would have otherwise died. Juvenille delinquents turned heros, say the papers, but that doesn't make Ponyboy feel any better because his buddy Johnny caught the brunt of the rescue and is in critical condition. Meanwhile, things between the Socs and the Greasers are at an all-time low ever since Johnny murdered one of the Socs, and an ultimate showdown is on the way. Will Johnny make it out of the hospital alive? Who will come out on top of the big fight, Socs or Greasers? Is Ponyboy going to stay sweet and poetic or will he succumb to the hardships of his lifestyle and lose heart?

First line of the book:

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home."

BONAS JONAS: My FAVORITE aspect of this novel is the circular nature of it. Circle stories (the first and last paragraph are the same) are my absolute favorite and it definitely made this book that much better for me. I think I actually squealed with delight, but then again, I squeal and shake with delight like a guinea pig often. I am easily excitable. But still! Amazing!

Review: Th1rteen R3asons Why

A lengthy aside.

This book is many things. Moving. Disturbing. Unsettling. Occasionally funny in ways that shouldn't be. None of these descriptions touch upon what this book really is. I couldn't even put it all out here for you in a simple review. You just have to experience it.

The book opens on an obvious tragedy. The reader isn't made aware at first, but the tone and mood are ominous and on page 3 the narrator, a high school boy named Clay, admits that he wishes he could collapse. Tape recordings are mentioned and it is implied that the message of the tapes is the reason our narrator is an emotional mess. It isn't until the next chapter, which takes us back to the moment Clay first gets the tapes, that we begin our journey to find out why.

Again, I've already said you need to experience this book. I'm not going to reveal the content of the tapes here because it is the process of discovering Hannah Baker's story that makes this book worth reading. I will tell you the basics and nothing more. Hannah killed herself. No one knows why. No one, that is, until she sends a package with no return address to the first person on her list. Inside the package are the tapes I've told you about earlier. These tapes contain thirteen stories. Each story helps shed light on the true pain and hidden disturbance that Hannah experienced every day. Hannah's stories are exposed to both the reader and Clay at the same time, making his pain the reader's pain. This is a visceral account of how rumors and unkind boys can destroy an already fragile girl and the drastic measures she took to ensure that those problems never hurt her again.

My reaction to this book is multi-faceted and something I still can't articulate, even though I read it back in November. On the one hand, it alerts readers to the vicious cycle of rumors and exactly why labeling people based on what one hears is absurd. This definitely touched me on a personal level because my high school experience was very similar to Hannah (minus actually committing suicide, obviously). My penchant for tight clothes because they felt most comfortable and my slender, yet curvy figure attracted the wrong attention and it was years before I figured out why. Despite being prudish in high school, I was labeled all kinds of unappealing names I still don't wish to think about. This book is perfect for many high school girls for that reason. To know they are not alone. Their pain is real and valid, but at the same time, there has got to be a better way of dealing with it than the way Hannah did.

The other side of this is that it almost glorifies suicide. Yes, the reader is definitely left with Clay's pain more than Hannah's and most would be able to conclude that suicide is not even an option, let alone an answer. Most. My fear with this book is I know how I would have reacted in high school and it isn't pretty. For the reasons mentioned previously amonst many more, I was ridiculously depressed and might have taken away a different message than the one I'm offering to you today. I guess what I'm trying to say is, be careful about how you recommend this book and to whom.

First line of the book:

"Sir?" she repeats. "How soon do you want to get it there?"

A lengthy aside

Purple Polka is a lot of things, but something that it very rarely (if ever) does is go deep into my personal life. I like it that way. Life is serious and the internet isn't. The internet is a big, fluffy ball of silly absurdity and I would be doing it a disservice to do something like talk about my problems as if this were a Xanga. There are certain communities where that is okay and I did not decide to join them.

However, I'm going to reveal a snippet today. As I've stated before, I'm reviewing my syllabus for Materials for YA. One portion of the syllabus allows you to choose your own books revolving around a theme for a final project. While I should probably finish Learning Theory from last semester before I focus on my final for Spring 09, this is something that has to be addressed now. A week (or maybe two, everything from that time is muddled and confusing) before Christmas, my stepfather Jack took his own life. This is understandably troubling for numerous reasons I don't believe I have to go into. As a result, I decided to focus my final project* on books dealing with suicide, more specifically, the aftermath. The survivors.

I would rather read the books at the beginning of the semester, therefore, at a time when I need them. A time when the mere thought of suicide, even in distant contexts like the suicides from the Great Depression shown in fuzzy black and gray footage in a documentary, leads me to tears. That said, for the five reviews necessary for my final project, Purple Polka won't be an inane distraction that occasionally attempts to take itself seriously. I cannot say what I will do from one day to the next, but it is most likely I will first review the book and then reflect on what it means to me and perhaps other people in a similar situation. I also plan on beginning every review with a link back to this post, in attempt to explain the sudden serious tone.

Thank you for your time and for letting me get a little personal. :)



*Though, come to think of it, I haven't quite asked Jill if this is okay. Is it, Jill?

Stormbreaker Review

What better review to follow Twilight than the male equivalent?  If Twilight is every 14 year-old girl's dream come true, then Stormbreaker is every 14 year-old boy's fantasy.  I mean, what boy doesn't want to realize he has the makings of a spy?  Exactly.

Granted, the book starts off on a sour note.  Alex Rider is informed early in the morning that his uncle, his only familial relations and guardian, was killed in a car accident.  Not wearing his seatbelt they told him.  Throughout the funeral services Alex has a nagging feeling that people weren't telling him the truth about his uncle's death.  For one thing, hell would freeze over twice before his uncle would drive around without his seatbelt.  Secondly, all the men that swore they worked at the bank with his uncle rub him the wrong way.  And one of them brought a gun to the funeral.  Determined to get some answers, Alex seeks out the impound lot where his uncle's car was taken and once he sees the BMW he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt he was lied to.  Bullet holes riddle the driver's side and there is a rust-colored stain no one needs to tell him is blood.  He gets stuck in the car mere moments before the compactor is going to have it's way with the BMW.  After a nervous few seconds, his leg gets dislodged and he runs away... straight into the man with a gun from the funeral.  

Before he could go the same way as his uncle, Alex karate kicks the muscle man and jets (B-T-dubs... he is a black belt.  How fortunate).  The "bank," Royal & General, call Alex in to discuss his future as he is now their ward.   In true "don't push the red button" fashion, they point out which office is his uncle's but they tell him he can't go in.  Somehow this leads to his jumping out a window 15 stories up onto a flagpole just to get into the office... I don't get it but this means that he is resourceful enough to pass their test and he becomes a spy.  Or something.  He endures some boot camp and gets a tricked out Gameboy Kim Possible style and bada bing, bada boom he's ready for some espionage.   

He is posing as a contest winner named Felix who won the privilege of being the first to test out the fancy Stormbreaker, a computer with a round processor.  Whatever that means.  Anyway, the creator of the Stormbreaker is too good to be true.  Upon completing the Stormbreakers, he plans on donating hundreds to English schools amongst other Marty Sue qualities.  Despite this, he has a personal army and has been known to consort with a contract killer.  Is he a bad guy?  Well, I can't tell you that.  But I will tell you this, the entire time I read it I felt as if I was reading a script for a blockbuster action movie with a 14 year-old protagonist.  Now I know why....

First line of the book:

"When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news"

Twilight Review

As if I need to review this book. However, since I decided to review all the books for my Materials for Young Adults class, what better place to start than literary crack? You know it's horrible, but you just can't stop reading it. Anyway, it's a classic boy meets girl story.... on GHB.

Long story short (and I mean long story—it clocks in at a whopping 498 pages) girl makes the self-sacrificing decision to move in with her father she doesn't really know so her immature mother can galavant around the states with her baseball player boytoy. Girl is miserable and clumsy and ordinary and boring and clumsy and ordinary and thinks no boy can possibly love her because of how ordinary and clumsy she is, even though everything in her new school with a penis wants on her. Meanwhile, boy and his family are pompous and have nothing to do with the rest of the student body. Nothing, that is, until girl moves into town. Two-hundred pages later, boy and girl get together even though boy wants to eat her. Promptly get your minds out of the gutter because he wants to drink her blood, not do anything kinky. Please people, he is mormon. As it turns out, boy is not a boy but a vegetarian vampire (which is an absurd description, since they drink animal blood...Stephanie Meyer needs to look up what vegetarian means in her dictionary). After a ridiculous courting stage where boy insults girl, girl decides she can't live without him and then boy reveals he was only pushing her away for her own benefit since he wants to kill her. They start dating and he introduces her to the fam. Wholesome times ensue, as they all hang out and play baseball. But vampire baseball is not any ole baseball, because it requires a thunderstorm to conceal the boisterous ball crack that comes from having superhuman strength. Other vampires hear the noise and want to play. These vampires aren't like the boy's family because they suck human blood and they want girl's blood like woah. Clearly boy isn't having this and he ships her off to her hometown in Arizona because one of the vampires is a “tracker.” Stalker vampire isn't thwarted and manages to get her alone and starts to eat her, but is killed by boy's family. Boy has to suck her blood anyway because she is starting to turn into a vampire from the venom stalker vampire injects. They go to prom and everyone is happy, except girl because she hates proms because she is clumsy and ordinary and spend the whole time pouting because boy won't turn her into a vampire. The end.

And that is Twilight. See, we didn't need all 498 pages after all!

First line of the book:

“My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down.”